Meditating during Quarantine
Learn about meditation’s benefits and easy ways to start a practice during quarantine!
Meditation is a healthy and beneficial habit accessible to almost anyone. It is prevalent across yoga studios, many workplaces, and all kinds of lifestyles. There are even apps and video channels dedicated to guiding folks through the practice.
The benefits of meditation are wide-ranging. They include: improved sleep, lower anxiety, lower blood pressure, and reduced stress-induced inflammation (1).
Whether you have a steady practice, want to revisit it, or are curious about starting meditation, there is something for everyone. Find out which meditation practice(s) are best for you!
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Red Lentil Pumpkin Dal
In these trying times, it’s recommended we don’t go to the grocery store often. Instead, let’s be mindful and use the items we have on hand at home.
Give our grocery store workers a little break from the crowds. It’s more sustainable, budget friendly, efficient for our wallets and world.
Here is a recipe that will hopefully use up some dribs and drabs you might already have in your pantry.
This gem of a recipe uses a can of pumpkin left over from fall and some red lentils begging for attention.
Hearty Vegetable Soup
Combat the chilly winter weather with a bowl of warm homemade soup!
The best part about this Hearty Vegetable Soup is both healthy and filling.
It is a family and friend favorite! It can be made vegetarian and gluten-free without jeopardizing the flavor or bite satisfaction.
Lentils are jam-packed with flavor and vitamins. This soup is perfect if you already know about the tastiness of lentils or are looking for an easy way to try them!
Try this Hearty Vegetable Soup recipe and stay warm
Breathing Through it: The Benefits of Breathwork
On your mat, you close your eyes taking a deep breath in and out. If you are familiar with yoga, you have probably heard an instructor guide you to focus on your breathing (1). Breathing seems to be an intricate part of practicing yoga but breathwork can also be powerful on its own as well.
Yoga District instructor Emily defines breath-work, its different types, and what to expect in breathwork sessions.
Find Your New Edge – Discover the Benefits of Yin Yoga
“Most yoga that you practice is likely yang in nature like a Vinyasa Flow. A dynamic class that is active to a certain degree working your muscles, building strength, stamina and flexibility. In contrast Yin Yoga (1) is a stable and passive practice where grounded poses are held for about 3 to 5 minutes with gravity deepening the pose. When holding a yin pose it tends to feel almost meditative to me and pushes me to a new edge. I usually leave class feeling rejuvenated and a bit taller like my body has been stretched straight.”
Read on as Michelle, a Yoga District teacher, talks about her experience with Yin Yoga and maybe try a Yin class or her Yin workshop for yourself.
Mindfulness in Relationships with Marci
Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of one’s feelings, thoughts, and actions in the present moment.
If you are ever swept up by emotions during communicating with others or struggle to know your role in relationships, then being more mindful can help.
Mindfulness is a strategy for being more present in your conversations resulting in a more positive and healthy outcome. Marci, a Yoga District teacher, intuitive coach, and healer, shares her insights about how to cultivate mindful, loving relationships. Feel free to attend her May 12th workshop to learn more.
Introduction to Holistic Wellness
Sally- Yoga District Teacher
Sally, a Yoga District teacher, has been struggling with severe migraine attacks since age of 15. For years she dealt with pain multiple times during the month. She would take strong pain killers while spending days in the dark and quiet.
She finally found s natural way to reduce the frequency of the attacks as well as duration of them. She is living toxic free, using all natural remedies for the past 17 months. She no longer needs to take any medication or pain killers whatsoever!
Read on to learn from Sally about holistic medicine philosophy and wellness practices.
How Being Mindful of Your Mindlessness is Beneficial
Mindlessness is Important
People talk about mindfulness all the time but I can’t ever recall anyone talking about mindlessness.
Patrice Ford Lyn, professional life coach, examines the benefits of combining being mindlessness and mindfulness.
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Learn How to Set Good Boundaries
“Yes I can.” “No I can’t.” Simple enough, right? - Are you good at setting boundaries?
- Your answer is likely a bit more nuanced than a simple
- “yes,” or “no.”
Setting personal boundaries is a form a self-care. Read on as Patrice Ford Lyn, professional life coach, discusses personal boundaries and how to improve setting them in your life.
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Sleep Hygiene Should Be on Your To Do List
Pamela
A good night’s sleep is a form of self-care.
Pamela is a certified Yoga Alliance Registered (E-RYT 500) Instructor, Sleep Wellness Coach, HeartMath Coach and Mindful Yoga Therapist.
She had struggled with insomnia, secondary PTS and stress which led to sleep deprivation. Read on to find out how a Sleep Hygiene Practice changed her life and how it could benefit you too!
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The Teachers
The diverse family of DC yoga teachers at Yoga District are dedicated to making yoga accessible to everyone through a huge variety of yoga class types, from vinyasa flow to restorative and beyond. Most Yoga District teachers are graduates of Yoga District’s nationally-attended 200 hour teacher training program. All Yoga District classes focus on coordinating breath with body movement to promote flexibility, strength, and peace of mind. We strongly believe in yoga as therapy, so catch one of our classes whenever you need a healthy dose of self-care.
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The Next Step
The Yoga District 200 and 500 hour teacher training certification programs, registered by the Yoga Alliance are unique in their emphasis on diversity of teaching styles studied, personal attention, and trauma sensitive yoga. It's no coincidence that Yoga District is regularly voted the leading studio in the nation's capital, and that most of its classes are taught by graduates of its training program. As a full time yoga school, small group trainings are led up to eight times a year by a dedicated faculty including Jasmine Chehrazi, contributor to the Harvard Karma Yoga Project teacher training, teacher training faculty at George Washington University, Yoga Alliance Standards Committee Advisory Board Member, Yoga Activist Founder, and Yoga Service Council Advisory Board Member. So take your practice and community involvement to the next level by joining a training. There's a reason why our graduates call the training "transformative."
Check out the yoga teacher training »